A Dalish Grey Warden
by Mystical Ninja Unicorns
Summary: Dalish Grey Ward and Alister romance along with an extra companion, Lavender Cousland, and both their struggles from the past. Just something I'm working on and will be adding to as I get ideas.
1. CH1 The Ways of the Dalish

_This is a story I've been working on and off inside my head so now I decided to write it before I forget everything my awesome mind came up with. This is a Dragon Age: Origins story and has two of the custom characters in it but only two Grey Wardens. Reviews on ideas you have, mistakes, suggestions, etc. are nice!_

_Unfortunately the best pic I could find for this story is the one I got so just imagine her face having tattoos._

**CH1. The Way of the Dalish Elves **

Tamlen smiled as E'lara stepped through the brushes. Her skin was a light pink from irritation from her vallaslin, or blood writing. She was completely naked and her tattoos covered some spots on her body. Like her front and sides of her hips, down her spine where it spread to her shoulders and collar bones, as well as her lower back, all around her neck, inner thighs, outer shins, inner forearm, outer biceps, and her face. The markings were like sharp vines, never touching but somehow intertwining. The tribe surrounded her and put their hands on her sore shoulders, and those that could not touch her, put their hands on the shoulders of them in front of them. Tamlen had her right shoulder and smiled at her.

"Welcome to our clan, lethallan." They all said at once, but E'lara could only hear Tamlen, as they smiled back at each other.

_The next day… _

E'lara frowned as her vallaslin bugged her with their itchiness and pain. She wore her Dalish armor and held her bow. She was watching but she wanted to itch everywhere. Her skinny petite body was burning.

"Now, now, lethallan," Tamlen smiled. "Frowning ruins your pretty face."

"My vallaslin hurt." E'lara said her dark red in a tight ponytail to keep from touching her skin. "I could barely sleep last night."

"It only lasts a few days, but do you wish for me to make it hurt less?" Tamlen smiled.

E'lara hesitated, and then nodded. Tamlen smiled mischievously and E'lara instantly regretted it. Tamlen slapped her back, sending a shockwave of new, fresh pain to her back.

She jumped a foot in the air and nearly shattered. Tamlen laughed, "That's for last year, when I had my vallaslin and you slapped me."

E'lara scowled and raised her hand. "Ar tu na'din!" She shouted, threatening to kill him.

He laughed. "You couldn't kill me, you love me too much."

She pouted and crossed her arms. "Harellian." She walked away.

**XXX**

Tamlen had his arm around E'lara as they mourned the death a hunter. He had been caught by bandit and had his throat slit, then looted. Tamlen burned with anger while E'lara let a tear slip down her cheek as they sang the song of sorrow meant for their dead. Afterwards, Tamlen and E'lara slipped into the forest where they went to deal with their sorrow.

"This is an outrage!" Tamlen almost shouted as E'lara sat sadly on a log. "Emma isala'nan!"

"We don't need vengeance." E'lara said softly. "Hamin."

"I will not calm, those shemlen had no right to kill a lethallin, a brother!"

E'lara placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hamin, nan din'astisha. Vengeance will not bring peace… in here." She placed a hand on his chest. He looked down at her calm demeanor. He had read that when elves lived long, they were just as calm, for their blood never moved fast. She was a true lethallan of the Elvhen.

He grabbed her skinny hand that held his chest and mumbled. "Ma sa'leth." He smiled lightly. E'lara looked away and blushed. He lightly grabbed her chin and guided her to face him. He lightly kissed her lips, and their foreheads touched.

**XXX**

The forest chirped with life as E'lara's light copper eyes scanned the forest. She was waiting for Tamlen to draw prey towards her but she also shot down birds and rabbits. She listened for approach of a panicked dear but none could be heard. She crouched then looked around. Tamlen had been gone for almost an hour. She walked south, looking for signs of Tamlen. She found some, but none came to tell his direction exactly. She then found a clearing, and headed for it.

It ended up being a road. Humans were moving a cart with an ox. They looked like merchants to E'lara. She watched them, interested in their actions. She was always curious of the shemlens and how they somehow defeated all of Elvhen. Most of the shems were male but there were a couple of women and some children.

One child skipped along the path then stopped and looked straight at E'lara. She dodged out of view, behind a tree, and gasped, but that only made the boy see her.

"Hello?" He asked, taking a step out into the woods. "I won' hurt you." He walked slowly towards E'lara. She, herself, had never really seen a human up close, so she stepped out into view to see the boy. He gasped and smiled. "Are you a Dalish?" He looked her up and down.

"Yes, and you are a shemlen?" She looked him up and down; he didn't look at all fierce and barbaric.

"I'm a human, you mean?" He said. "I've seen elves before but never a Dalish." He poked her leg, at the markings on her skin. "Is that permanent? Does it hurt?"

"Yes," She smiled, "Their vallaslin, blood writing…"

"Wow… Can I have one?" He examined her body.

"Nathan?" A woman's voice called. She peered into the woods then screamed, pointing at E'lara. A man came by and charged at E'lara with a sword that was bigger then her. She dodged and ran, the little boy screamed for him to stop but he charged again and knocked her over. She crawled backwards into a tree and the man pointed his blade at her throat.

She looked wildly around while the man studied her intently.

"Stop it, father, stop it!" The boy grabbed his leg. "It's a Dalish."

"That is just a legend, she is probly a scout for bandits."

"Emma Dalish." She said. The man's eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" He frowned.

She paused and thought of the English meaning for her words and reminded herself that humans don't speak Elvish. "I am… Dalish."

Before the man could respond, Tamlen drew from the forest with his bow draw and pointed at the man. "Let lethallan go."

The man looked at the two similar dressed elves then decided it wasn't worth getting killed over. He returned the sword to the sheath on his back. "Leave, elf." He scowled.

E'lara grabbed her bow and went with Tamlen. She looked back at the boy as he waved goodbye on his father's shoulder.

"Are you stupid, lethallan?!" Tamlen scowled as E'lara turned her back on him. "Do you realize you could have been killed?"

"No, I wouldn't have."

"Or worse." Tamlen continued. "You could have become their servant, doomed to be in their service while those savages had their way with you!"

"Tamlen!" She shouted, shutting him up and making him look her in the eye.

He shuddered as his anger faded away to panic. He grabbed E'lara around the waist the pushed her against a tree holding her up, as her legs were wrapped around his waist. He kissed the marking on her collar bone. "I don't care; I'd slaughter all the shems in cold blood just to keep you safe!" He mumbled as his lips climbed her throat.

E'lara ran her hand through his hand and looked out into the forest realizing just how strong their love had become.

**XXX**

"_Take a look at that." Tamlen pointed to white blotch hidden in a bush. They were eight then and without vallaslin. They had stolen some honey biscuits from the clan's cook and ran to the forest. But now a ruffling in the bushes had them on edge. _

"_What is it?" She asked. A small white kitten then jumped out and meowed. It had bright blue eyes and white fur with twig and dirt in it. A grey splotch over its eye was the only other color on its fur._

_E'lara smiled as the skinny kitten rubbed against her leg. "I'm going to name you Snow." E'lara said, picking it up. "And you're coming home with me." It purred loudly in response._

E'lara woke up. She felt the warmth of Tamlen against her naked body and turned around, putting her back to Snow. She nuzzled against him and he woke, smiling. They decided that they couldn't wait for them to come of age and marry to 'bond' and so they did it in secret in her aravel, which was a little outside of camp to begin with. Tamlen traced the marking on her arm and smiled down at her.

"That was amazing, ma sa'leth." He kissed her cheek and she smiled as his warmth filled her.

_Right so that was my first chapter. I got a Dragon Age Elvish dictionary kind of thing so I'm trying to use some Dragon Age Elvish in this as much as possible. Hope you liked it._


	2. CH2 The Heir of Cousland

**The Heir of Cousland**

Sweat pours down Lavender as she hit the dummy with her wooden sword. Her dark brown, almost black hair, stuck to the back her neck and the sides of her face. She was determined to perfect this technique and nothing would get in her way. It was something her father taught her last night and how it saved his life more than once. She hit the dummy with an upward slash that disarmed it's shield and she pressed, slashing at it this way and that.

Finally she was interrupted by her brother who was clapping. "Well done sister, you might have even had a chance against the dummy."

She smiled, "At least I have a chance, every time you fight the dummy it ends up kicking your ass."

He laughed merrily. "Still see you have mother's tongue." He picked up a practice shield and sword. "Now let's see how well you do against a trained warrior."

Lavender raised her sword and smiled menacingly. "Now let's see if you can actually fight."

They rushed each other and they clashed swords. Fergus had the advantage of a shield but Lavender had the advantage of being trained in agility. Fergus attempted to bash her with his shield but she dodged it and began to put pressure on his sword arm, striking it hard and jabbing at unprotected areas his body, she once even jabbed his neck.

Fergus did a downward slash and caught her left thigh. She grunted as the dull wood hit her unprotected thigh. But at he struck her leg she jabbed his ribs and ended up giving the killing blow. She smiled as they both dripped with sweat.

"I win." She put her practice sword on a rack and walked away.

As she walked into the hallway, a young nobleman was discussing something with her parents.

"Now I must know where your beautiful young daughter is."

"Here." Lavender scowled, her mother didn't ask for the nobleman's presence for marriage, but she was overjoyed to have someone willing to marry her daughter to. Where she saw that Lavender was covered in sweat and wasn't washed up, that face fell as the nobleman looked at her.

He looked at her stunned and choked on his words a few times. "You're their daughter? What's that smell?"

"That's the smell of five hours of hard work and practice; at least I don't smell like flowers." She chuckled and walked past them. "Try some other wretched noblewoman who might even pretend to be happy about your small penis." She walked out to her room; hating how her parents tried to marry her off to someone she didn't even know. If she wanted to marry, she would, otherwise, right now she wouldn't. Although she knew, dreading the thought, that eventually she would have to, or have nothing else to do with her life. But, even though that was her future, she would keep fighting it up til she couldn't fight it any more.

XXX

Lavender battled an imaginary foe that late night. Fergus and father were going to battle and she would stay at the castle. Although she wanted to be there with her brother as they fought off darkspawn, she had to take care of the castle all alone. She hated it, but wouldn't dare disrespect her father.

She then heard a loud boom and she jumped ten feet in surprise. She held her iron sword and went to investigate. Then the great hall's doors burst open and men pour through. At first she wanted to engage them, but knew better because there were too many. But she seen enough to know they were Howe's men and then she ran, to her parents. She shouted to wake every one up as she ran for her parents.

She eventually got to her mother but her father wasn't there. They fought their way til they hit the armory, where Lavender held her family's sword. It was beautiful, but she couldn't admire it long. They then went to the Great Hall and eventually to the servant's quarter.

At the end she was forced to leave her parents, and escape…

XXX

The night was dark with no moon out. She stayed to the darkness as tears run down her face. She almost sobbed a couple of times too. She closed her eyes and evened her breathing. She would cry later she told herself, but right now, you need to shut down your emotions, and turn it to anger against Howe and use it… for vengeance. She opened her blue eyes and set to path, nothing would stop her now.


End file.
